Here’s what you need to know about Riyadh Metro

Riyadh Metro project consists of six lines, which link all the parts of the city, through the Blue, Orange, Yellow, Red, Green and Purple lines.

The project has a capacity of 3.6 million passengers per day.

The metro, spanning 176 kilometers, includes 85 stations. It has four main stations, where a number of the network’s lines meet. The remaining 81 stations are distributed between 34 above-ground and 47 underground.

The six lines include the Blue Line passing through Al-Olaya Street, Al-Batha and Al-Hayer, which is 38 km long; Red Line moving across King Abdullah Road (25.3 km), Orange Line on Al-Madinah Road (40.7 km), Yellow Line passing via King Khalid International Airport Road (29.5 km), Green Line crossing King Abdulaziz Road (12.9 km) and Purple Line on Abdulrahman Bin Awf and Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussein Road (29.7 km).

Train stations include amenities, safety, air conditioning, and trip information systems, with some of them including shops, commercial services, and parking lots.

The four main stations in the project are King Abdullah Financial District, STC, Qasr Al-Hukm, and Western.

These stations are located in high-density areas, and at the intersection of a number of train and bus routes. They provide various services supporting the public transportation system, such as customer service, parking, ticket outlets, shops and commercial services, restaurants and cafes, and outlets available for investment.

The project includes 190 trains, containing 452 cars, as well as 19 public parking lots on various lines of the network in most parts of the city, with capacities ranging between 400 and 600 cars.

According to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), Riyadh Metro was designed as per high technical specifications, most notably driverless train system, in addition to controlling and monitoring the public passenger services, security, and safety.

The train cars are equipped with comfortable seats suitable for all passengers, with three distinct classes: first, family, and individual. This is in addition to Internet connection and advanced audio-visual systems.

Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers, and CEO of RCRC, Ibrahim Al-Sultan, emphasized that the Riyadh Metro network was designed with careful consideration of the city’s traffic patterns, trip origins and destinations, projected passenger volumes, public transport travel times, and the anticipated impact on the road network.

Other factors such as congestion, fuel consumption, pollution, and other aspects of the city’s transportation system were also thoroughly evaluated, he said.

Al-Sultan pointed out that the project, the largest of its kind built entirely in a single phase, spans 176 kilometres with 85 stations. It stands out for its advanced design, technical specifications, and alignment with Riyadh's economic, social, environmental, and urban characteristics. Moreover, the metro is set to drive a significant transformation in the city's transportation sector by increasing the use of public transport for daily commutes and offering diverse mobility options for residents and visitors.

The Riyadh Metro also plays a key role in advancing environmental sustainability in the city by reducing pollution from vehicle emissions, lowering fuel consumption, and incorporating modern, advanced technologies in its trains, buses, stations, and facilities. These efforts contribute to energy efficiency and align with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs.

According to data available with Argaam, the stations were named after companies and banks that won the naming rights for a period of 10 years, which include SABIC, Bank Albilad, SAB, Alinma Bank, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group (HMG), Granada Center, and Majid Al Futtaim (City Centre Ishbiliya).